August 2012 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
WHAT’S NEW AS OF AUGUST 2012? Note from the Editor Direct Transfer Trips: A Primer A lot is required of policymakers these days – in order to get policies right they often need to understand the basics of science and technology, sociology and economics, legal terminology and a host of other issues that can…
WHAT’S NEW AS OF AUGUST 2012?
Note from the Editor
Direct Transfer Trips: A Primer
A lot is required of policymakers these days – in order to get policies right they often need to understand the basics of science and technology, sociology and economics, legal terminology and a host of other issues that can affect policy decisions. As a result, they often rely on experts like Michael Sheehan, who participates in state commission proceedings on behalf of IREC, helping policymakers understand how engineering principles should be incorporated into interconnection policy decisions. I recently had a chance to ask him about Direct Transfer Trips (DTT or Transfer Trip), a technical term I’d heard often but didn’t really know much about.
Increasingly, DTT requirements are a topic of discussion regarding updates to interconnection procedures. However, it can be difficult for those of us who lack a firm understanding of electrical engineering to know what this term means, and when DTT requirements may be necessary. From what I learned, Transfer Trips are a communication device between a generator and a substation through which a communication signal can be sent to disable a generator in the event of a power interruption. When a substation relay detects fault on the electric power system (EPS), it sends a “trip” signal to the generator that trips the generator’s breaker and disables it so the generator ceases to energize the local power grid.
State News in Detail
Northeast States
Massachusetts enacts law to double net metering capacity and modify terms for long-term renewable energy contracts
New York utility reaches aggregate net metering limit; NY legislature expands remote net metering law
Mid-Atlantic States
New Jersey BPU issues proposed net metering rule expansion; NJ Governor signs RPS, SREC legislation
Midwestern States
Illinois Governor signs net metering expansion into law
Southern States
TVA prepares for solar program changes
Western States
California PUC announces milestone in utility renewable energy goal
Washington Interconnection workgroup issues report and model rules
New Mexico utility community solar program set to open
Upcoming Events
Miscellaneous News
Federal Departments team up to develop more renewable energy
Download the full newsletter as a PDF: August 2012 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
FORMAT
While customer-sited net metering and interconnection policies are primarily addressed at the state level, they are also becoming important on a regional basis. This newsletter has been designed to provide state-level policy updates and capture emerging regional trends. Connecting to the Grid is a free, electronic newsletter published each month by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC). Click here to subscribe.
Editor: Laurel Varnado
